Slipping Through My Fingers
by berryfuls
Summary: A late night stakeout equals a very sleepy Gillian Foster.


**I missed writing Lie to Me, and I missed writing like this. Its not really romance, more like two friends with one of them having a crush on the other. From Lightman's POV :) I love this!**

**Enjoy!**

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She was… stunning. In one word. I knew from the start of the evening that she would look better than me, but the air around her was even warm and inviting. I wandered, practically invisible to the friendly passing crowd. The liars this place was holding… But I was more interested in the conversation she was having, crystal clear in the Bluetooth placed over my ear.

I wove through the crowd of people, listening to her talk openly with random people, saying random things, and bringing up random topics. Good god, she was random. I pulled out my phone and turned to Reynold's line.

"Found him yet?" I asked, sidestepping a flirty-looking waitress. She looked at me, longing and anger etched clear as day on her face, as I walked away hands shoved in my pockets.

There were muffled voices in my ear, and then he replied, "No. He's probably wearing a disguise, though."

"Well, I could have told you that, huh?!" I snapped, rolling my eyes. I work with geniuses. "Keep looking, we're trying to find someone who looks like they want to kill the governor."

"It could be any of these people."

"No kidding. Now let's find him." I tapped on my phone again, bringing me to Torres and Loker's line. They were back at the office, watching the security cameras as extra eyes in the room. "Got anything yet?"

"Nope. Although watching you, Reynolds, and Foster run around like little mice has been quite enjoyable," Loker said with the smile in his voice evident. I repeat, I work with geniuses.

"Good to know you're enjoying yourself. Although I would be ecstatic if you were actually doing some work."

"I am, but Loker here has decided to start prank-calling people you've fired," Torres replied, an annoyed Loker grumbling in the background.

I rolled my eyes. "So he's calling himself?"

"Hey…" he protested, but I had already switched back to Foster's line.

"And you're back," she said casually. She sounded tired and bored – we've been going at this for two hours now and gotten nothing. And for as long as I've known her, she has always been the last to lose hope and patience. "How are the others doing?"

I sighed. "Reynolds is telling me how to do my job, Loker is prank-calling himself, and Torres is… well, Torres. That's about all I've gotten out of this."

She laughed. "I'm starting to think he's not here."

I saw her through the crowd and waved her over. "I'm not saying that he isn't… but it's possible. No, probable."

She shook her head, a small smile lighting up her lips. "Let's just go home." She yawned and leaned against my arm. "It's ten-thirty. Way past my bedtime." I took her hand and walked back to the entrance. I pulled out my phone and turned to Reynolds' line.

"Ay, Reynolds. Foster and I have searched this place through and we haven't found him. We don't think he's here."

"You mean we just wasted two hours on nothing?!"

"Not nothing. You know he's not here, right?" I ended the call the same second Foster did from telling Loker and Torres the same thing. Great minds think alike. "Come on, lets get you home," I said, draping my arm around her waist and steered a very sleepy looking Foster out to my car. I had driven us both here, and now I was going to drive us both back.

She was only conscious enough to get seated and buckled before she fell asleep. Smiling gently to myself, I reached out and pulled the Bluetooth off her ear before taking mine off as well. I put them back in the glove box and started the car. I kept the radio off as I drove through D.C. until I pulled up in front of her flat. I leaned over to wake her up, but stopped short while taking in her adorable appearance. She had pushed the seat back a little bit and was snuggled up against the side of the car.

"Gill…" I whispered, cutting the engine and walking over to her door. Very carefully, I opened it, making sure she didn't fall out. I unbuckled the seatbelt she had just about rolled out of and sat her up. I wasn't sure if I could carry her all the way into her house, or even the front door was unlocked, so I went ahead and woke her up. Guilt and self-loathing tore at me as she unwillingly opened her eyes, but both were quickly replaced with warmth as she smiled.

"Think you can make it inside?" I asked, very quietly because her neighborhood was deathly silent. Its like she lives in a graveyard, for god's sake.

She yawned a tiny, "Yeah," and sat up. "Woahh… head rush." She pressed a thin hand against her forehead and squeezed her eyes shut until it passed. Then she got shakily to her feet. I grabbed her purse and guided her to the door.

"Think you can make it from here?" I asked, but was quickly answered by her almost tripping in the doorway. I chuckled at her annoyed expression before helping her up the little step inside and started turning on the lights.

"Cal…" she whined softly, trying to stop me from putting her stuff down and getting the place ready so I could leave.

I glanced at her, meaning to have a daring look, but she had her face in her hands and was shaking her head. "Gill, Gill, Gill?! What is it?!" I asked, gripping her shoulders tightly.

"It was the lies… that tore us apart."

"What? Are you talking about Alec again?" She nodded once, a slight downward twitch of her head. I couldn't hold back. I reached out and folded my arms around her. "It's okay, Gill. Everything's going to be okay."

She buried her face in my shoulder, and whispered, "It sounds so good… but we both know that's a lie. You always know the right times to lie to me."

"I'm not lying. Gill, look at me." She looked up at me with her beautiful eyes, taking in the honesty she read on my face. "I'm not lying," I repeated, holding her closer. She just shook her head. She's too stubborn. "If I didn't believe that everything would be okay after my divorce, I wouldn't be here right now. I would have shut down the Lightman Group and became a hermit." I brushed a strand of hair out of her face. "But you held me back."

"It's different with you. You can believe anything you tell yourself…"

I laughed once. "You truly believe that, don't you?" I sat us down on the couch and wrapped my arm around her small shoulders.

"Cal, please. Just go…"

"And leave you here alone? I think I would hit myself if I did that. Sorry, luv." She groaned, fell back on the couch and put a pillow over her head. "Of course, if you say you want me to go, I'll be able to tell you're lying, so…" Then she threw the pillow at me. It hit me right in the face. I could pick up subtle hints of her perfume and the delightful smell of her house on it.

"Remind me why I work with you."

I grinned. "Because if you didn't, you wouldn't have an interesting job or someone here now!"

"If I didn't, I would be asleep right now." She took the pillow back and put it under her back, propping her up.

I laughed. "You're hilarious. Now do you want to sleep out here on the couch or in your room?"

She gave me a mock-glare and said, "I think I can make it down the hall, thanks."

"See you tomorrow, Gill." I got up and stretched.

I didn't see her eye-roll, but I heard it in her "See ya." It was days like today that make you realize how wonderful moments end up slipping through your fingers…


End file.
